1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and system for providing cross-platform remote control, monitoring, and updating of a facility access controller. The monitoring of the facility access controller includes detecting the status or monitoring of alarms operatively linked to a facility having controlled access thereto. The method and system employ a web based network controller that is operatively linked to an intranet and/or the world-wide web. The method and system enable data transfer between facility access controllers having different operating systems and between the web based network controller and remote sites that employ web browsers to access the web server of the web based network controller.
2. Description of the Background Art
Facility access controllers are used for controlling and monitoring physical access to buildings, rooms, and restricted areas. Such restricted areas typically employ some form of identification means to verify the identity of a user before the user can pass through the controlled or restricted area. The identification means typically includes a coded card or other type of data bearing record which employs specific coding to identify the user. Many facility access controllers are designed to have built-in electronic processing intelligence, having the ability to store unique identified codes in digital form, and to determine what users are allowed or not permitted to gain access to a controlled or restricted area.
Such facility access controllers include embedded controllers that monitor and control alarm and/or door status conditions. Such embedded controllers are referred to as terminal control unit (TCUs) that are designed to operate in a stand alone mode without relaying information to a central computer for data processing. The central computer is typically designed for management of a plurality of TCUs of a single facility. Most of the terminal control units communicate with the central computer via RS232, RS422, or RS485 type links and such links are predominantly based on proprietary communication protocol. A suite of security management systems software modules (SMS Software) are installed on each central computer of each facility. The SMS software is typically developed for a specific operating system (OS) platform and requires a certain amount of computing resources.
The SMS software suite is usually designed to monitor and control single or multiple terminal control units. Each SMS software suite is developed to operate on a single stand alone computer platform, or as a client-server software for multiple users in a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). Each SMS software module is developed to operate on a specific operating system. Thus, the developer/manufacturer of an SMS suite has to redevelop each and every SMS software module to run on different operating system platforms.
When an operating system is upgraded on a central computer, the corresponding SMS software modules have to be redeveloped and installed on the central computer and file server. Such upgrade requires extensive time and effort to keep each central computer running and operating efficiently. Furthermore, such a design increases the cost of the facility access control system for each central computer.
The conventional art is further limited in that the SMS software modules are typically developed for a single operating language, and different versions of each SMS software suite are required for a specific type of operating language.
Accordingly, a need in the art exists for a method and system for providing cross/platform remote control, monitoring, and upgrading of facility access controllers that have different operating systems. A further need exists in the art for a method and system for providing cross-platform remote control, monitoring, and upgrading of facility access controllers that permits a single change or multiple changes/upgrades in at least one of entry codes and operating parameters to be implemented into individual terminal control units of facility access controllers in a simultaneous manner.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a method and system for providing cross-platform remote control and monitoring of facility access controllers. It is a further primary object of the present invention to provide a method and system for implementing changes within terminal control units via remote computers which may or may not have similar operating systems relative to the terminal control units.
A further object of the present invention is to reduce the cost of software development, where facility access control software can be developed once and run on different operating systems.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for providing cross-platform remote control monitoring of facility access controllers or terminal control units of facilities that are operatively linked to a web based network controller so that a remote computer can communicate with the terminal control units using industrial protocol such as transmission control protocol over internet protocol (TCP-IP) and hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP).
An additional object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for providing cross-platform remote control monitoring of facility access controllers where the SMS software is developed as a web server application.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for providing cross-platform remote control and monitoring of facility access controllers where a remote computer only needs a standard web browser to access a web based network controller that is operatively linked to a plurality of terminal control units of facility access controllers.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for providing cross-platform remote control and monitoring of facility electronic access controllers where the web server of a web based network controller linking a plurality of terminal control units is designed using hypertexted mark-up language (HTML) standards that support different languages.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for providing cross-platform remote control and monitoring of facility access controllers where a web base network controller includes an E-mail server to permit the web base network controller to send data, log normal activity transactions, or security breach data, etc., to a remote user via an internet E-mail protocol. With such a method and system, specific or selected information can be transmitted by the web based network controller based on program control. Further, with such a method and system, specific or selected access information or data can be sent to multiple users at multiple locations via an internet Email system.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for providing cross-platform remote control and monitoring, and upgrading of facility access controllers having terminal control units where remote computers running on different operating systems can retrieve/access information or data generated by terminal control units via a web based network controller that employs E-mail software.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for providing cross-platform remote control and monitoring of facility access controllers having terminal control units where access data of the monitoring of restricted areas is provided to a remote computer via the web base network controller in real time. Such access data of restricted areas can include, but is not limited to, the card holder identification codes, results of biometric scans, device names, location descriptions, and system data base information in real time. Other access data includes displaying graphical images and dynamic status information on web pages and retrieving such information with a web browser of a remote computer via a web based network controller linking a plurality of terminal control units.
These and other objects of the present invention are fulfilled by providing a system for providing cross-platform remote control and monitoring of a facility access controller, the system comprising a cross-platform network controller including, a CPU, a non-volatile memory; at least one of a network port and a cross-platform port; an input/output interface; at least one terminal control unit operatively linked to the input/output interface, the terminal control unit being capable of operating in a stand alone mode relative to the cross-platform network controller; at least one of an input access control device and an output access control device being operatively linked to the terminal control unit; a cross-platform network; and at least one remote computer operatively linked to the cross-platform network controller, the cross-platform network facilitating remote operation of the at least one terminal control unit while at least one of system upgrades and changes within the at least one terminal control unit are easily implemented via the cross-platform network controller.
In addition, these and other objects of the present invention are also accomplished by a method for providing cross-platform remote control and monitoring of a facility access controller, the method comprising the steps of monitoring at least one terminal control unit with a cross-platform network controller; updating at least one of first identification data and operating parameters stored in the at least one terminal control unit with the cross-platform network controller; receiving second identification data with the at least one terminal control unit from an input access control device operatively linked to the at least one terminal control unit; comparing the first identification data stored in the at least one terminal control unit with said second identification data; and activating an output access control device operatively linked to the at least one terminal control unit if the first identification data matches the second identification data.
Additionally, these and other objects of the present invention are also accomplished by a computer program product for providing cross-platform remote control and monitoring of a facility access controller, the computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable code embodied therein, the computer readable code including an operating system computer readable program code device, the operating system computer program code device further includes, a web server code module; a TCP/IP code module; an E-mail server code module; and a CGI code module, the operating system computer readable program code device facilitating remote operation of the facility access controller while at least one of system upgrades and changes within the facility access controller are easily implemented via a cross-platform network controller.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.